NHL Hockey 3d Briefing
×Last updated: May 25, 2026, 11:50 PM ET
Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Eastern Conference finals head to Montreal tied 1-1 espn.com after the Hurricanes dropped a defensive disaster in Game, with star defenseman Jaccob Slavin shouldering the blame espn.com and admitting he "handed the Canadiens the game." The series shifts to Montreal for Games 3 and 4 beginning Monday, where the Canadiens are seven wins away espn.com from the Stanley Cup thanks to contributions from throughout their lineup. The city is experiencing a monthlong revival of Habs fans' hopes espn.com as May 2026 proves to be a transformative period for the franchise.
In the Western Conference, the Avalanche trail the Golden Knights 2-0 espn.com after dropping Game 2 3-1, with coach Jared Bednar lamenting missed opportunities to extend a 1-0 lead. Just as Colorado welcomed back Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar espn.com from injury, the team may now be without Hart Trophy finalist Nathan Mac Kinnon for Game, with Bednar indicating the star forward is limited and questionable espn.com for Monday's contest. Expert analysts favor the Canadiens espn.com to advance from the Eastern Conference showdown, while the Golden Knights' momentum has shifted the Western series decisively in Vegas's favor.
World Championship
Team Canada remains perfect at 5-0 espn.com after defeating Slovenia 3-1 on Friday, and continued that dominance Sunday when captain Macklin Celebrini scored in a 5-1 win over Slovakia espn.com, with Sidney Crosby adding his seventh assist of the tournament and Canada erupting for four goals in the final period. The defending champion United States stayed alive with a 7-3 victory over Hungary espn.com on Monday, keeping quarterfinal hopes intact after suffering a stunning 4-2 upset loss to Latvia, where Sandis Vilmanis sealed it with two empty-net goals espn.com for the Baltic nation's biggest upset of the tournament.
Memorial Cup
The Western Hockey League-champion Everett Silvertips opened the Memorial Cup with a 5-3 victory espn.com over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in Kelowna, British Columbia on Saturday, with right wing Jesse Heslop finding the back of the net. Chicoutimi rebounded Sunday night espn.com when Liam Lefebvre scored his second goal of the game at 5:28 of overtime to give the Sagueneens a 3-2 win over the host Kelowna Rockets.
Around the League
Maple Leafs forward Max Domi is out indefinitely after complications espn.com arose during an offseason surgery, dealing a blow to Toronto's forward depth heading into next season. In a landmark collectibles sale, an autographed 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card espn.com sold for $540,000 including buyer's premium in Fanatics Collect's May Premier Auction, setting a new record for an autographed hockey card. The PWHL's Seattle Torrent fired coach Steve O'Rourke espn.com after the expansion team finished last in the standings in its inaugural season.